Glimpse the world of frontier-era Idahoans by panning for gold (seasonal) and exploring an underground mine from the 1880s.

Idaho Potato Museum 30 NW Main St. Blackfoot, ID 83221 (208) 785-2517 <www.potatoexpo.com> This ode to all things potato recounts the tuber’s history in Idaho. Visitors even get a free box of hash browns.

Museum of Idaho

200 N. Eastern Ave. Idaho Falls, ID 83402 (208) 522-1400 <www.museumofidaho.org> Visit this replica community of Eagle Rock, the 19th-century town that later became Idaho Falls. The exhibits trace the state’s history from prehistoric times through the Lewis and Clark era to the race for atomic power.

Nez Percé National Historical Park White Bird Battlefield

39063 US Highway 95 Spalding, ID 83540 (208) 843-7001 <nps.gov/nepe> Walk the site of the first battle of the Nez Percé Indian Wars, where Nez Percé warriors successfully defended their camp June 17, 1877, leaving 60 1st Calvary Regiment Soldiers dead. You also can stop by the Spalding Visitor Center to see exhibits and a short film.

On a visit to this site, you’ll learn about the daily lives of 13,000 convicts who were incarcerated in this institution during its 100 years of operation. Tour the historic prison’s cellhouses (which were first built in 1870), gallows and rose gardens.

Traverse this 71-acre park honoring Sacajawea, the Agaidika tribe and the Corps of Discovery expedition. The landscape still looks much as it did when Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and their band of explorers blazed their trail 200 years ago.